Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-08-28

splitting headache. I had fallen against
some corner of the furniture and black
ened one eye. I had broken two chairs
somehow or other. was cold, Ill ana
shaken. I got into bed and tried to remem-
Der what had happened. Clearly must
have made drunken beast Of myself over
the dinner, and reeled home with my head
full of fancies and dreams; perhaps the oin-
liner was q dream and a hallunciation 100;
| If 40 the pangs of hunger would soon re.
commence. But they did not Then fell
asleep, and did not awake again -uil tne
clock strck IL. How i'll and wretcned L
felt as dressed My hand shook, my eyes
were red, my face swollen. Surely must
have been intoxicated. I had been,
up to that day at least, o temper
ate man, partly, no doubt,
from the very wholesome reason
which keeps so many of US sober-the
necessity of poverty; but of course had
not arrived at four and twenty years ana
seen 80 much of the world without recog-
nizing Che signs of too much drink. l had
them, every one; and, rs most men know
too well, they are all summed up in the
simple expression, shot coppers. Alas!
was destined to become only too familiar
with. the accused symptoms. lnvolun-
tarily, when had dressed myself, put
my hands in my pockets, those pockets 10
often empty; there was money, gold
sovereigns-my pocket was full OF them.
/ counted them in stupor. Forty .nlne,
and one rolled into the corner-hfty; II
was part of the sum for which had sold
my appetite; and on the table lay the
letter from Messrs. Crackett & Charges, In
viting me to draw ESQ month.
Then it was all true!
I sat down, and with my throbbing
temples and feverish pulse, tried to make
it out. Everything became plain except
the name of the purchaser-Mr.-Mr.-
l remembered Boule-de-neiga, the house,
the room and the dinner, but not the
name of that arch deceiver, the whole Of
whose villainy I was far from realizing
vet; aud until it was told me later on l
never did remember the name.
It was strange. Men are said to have
sold their soils to the devil for money, bar
tering away an enternity of happiness for
a few years of pleasure; but also for me,
had exchanged, as it seemed at first sight,
nothing but the inconvenience of healthy
appetite with nothing to eat for the means
of living comfortably without it. There
could be no sin in such transaction; it
was on different level altogether from
the bargain made by Faust. And there
were the broad, the benevolent facts, so to
speak-my pockets full of soyereigns; and
the letter instructing me to call at an office
for $50 monthly.
Benevolent facts thought them. You
shall see. You think, as l thought, that
no sin could be laid at my door for the
transaction. You shall judge. You think,
as thought, that no harm could follow 30
simple a piece OF business. You shall
read. On my way out / met my landlady,
who gave me notice to quit at the end of
the week.
81 thought you were quiet and So
Der young man." she said. "Ah, never
will trust to good looks again. Me and
the dodgers kept away till two o'clock in
the morning with your singing and dane
ing, let alone banging the floor with the
chairs Not another hour after your weeks
up, if you was to pray on your knees, shall
you stay. And next day threatening the
constables; and me quiet woman of
twenty years"
NV heart sank again. But after all, per-
haps. it was myself, not the good old
gentleman, my kind patron and benefactor
at all who was the cause of this disturb.
ance. 1t was undoubtedly true that had
taken q great quantity of wine with my
splendid dinner. 1 begged her pardon
humbly and passed out.
1t was now nearly o'clock, but felt
no desire for breakfast. That was an ex-
perience quite novel to me. Still went
to q coffee house, according to habit, and
ordered some tea and rasher. When
they came l discovered, with horrid
foreboding of worse misfortune behind,
that my taste was gone. Except that one
thing was solid and the other liquid l
distinguished nothing. Nor did my sense
of smell assist me; as found later, my
nose was affected agreeably or disagree
ably, but it lost all its discriminating and
critical powers. Gunpowder, sulphuretted
hydrogen gas and tobacco offended my
nose So did certain smells belonging to
cookery. On the other hand, certain
flowers, tea and claret pleased me, but l
was unable to distinguish between them.
Not only could I not taste them, but l
had no qualification in eating them.
ate and drank mechanically, because /
knew that the body must be kept going
on something.
All this knowledge, however, and more,
came by degrees. After making forced
breakfast bent my steps to the law
yers'.
The letter was received by conceited
young clerk in shiny black habiliments, q
turned up nose, and self satisfied man
ner.
"Hap' he said, 81 thought you would
soon come round to us after the letter.
Sign that. You haven't been long. None
of them are here"
1t was receipt, and was on the point
of asking if it was to be signed in blood,
when he settled the question by giving me
the ink.
''There, Luke Lucraft, across the eight
penny stamp. I'm not allowed to answer
any questions you may put, Mr.. Lucraft,
nor to ask you any; so take your money
and good morning to you. / suppose, like
the rest of them, you don't know the name
of your benefsctor, and wopld like to-yes;
but you needn't ask me, and I've orders
not to admit you to see either Mr.. Charges
or Mr.. Crackett. They'd trouble enough
with the last but one. He broke into
their Office once, drunk, and laid about
him with the ruler"
burst into a cold dew of terror.
However, Mr.. Lucraft, hope you will
be more fortunate than your predecessors
"Where are they? Who are they?"
II do not know where they are, not for
certainty" he replied with grin. But
we may guess. Ded and buried they are,
all of them. Gone to kingdom come; all
died of the same thing, too-D. T. De-
licious trimmings killed them. Poor old
gentleman! He's too good for this world,